New effort to abolish the death penalty in Washington state

The death penalty might be eliminated as a form of punishment in Washington state, but a bill backed by the governor would make the maximum punishment in the state "life without the possibility of parole or release."

Author:
Drew Mikkelsen

Published:
5:18 PM PST February 5, 2019

Updated:
12:43 PM PST February 15, 2019

Governor Jay Inslee declared a moratorium. The Washington state Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional. Now, lawmakers are calling for abolishing the death penalty in Washington state.

“The death penalty is applied in a way that is not consistent,” Sen. Reuven Carlyle (D-Seattle) told Senators in a hearing on his bill (SB 5339) Tuesday.

Others who spoke in favor of the bill included a spokesperson from the ACLU and former Department of Corrections Secretary Dick Morgan.